Los Angeles — The Los Angeles Dodgers are no longer chasing relevance. They are chasing history. With their eyes firmly locked on a third consecutive World Series title in 2026, the franchise enters the offseason not with desperation, but with quiet confidence. The roster is already built to win. The core is proven. The expectations are brutal. And yet, amid all that certainty, one storyline hangs heavy over Chavez Ravine — the future of Max Muncy.
Muncy’s return for another run feels both reassuring and haunting. Reassuring because the Dodgers get back a familiar presence, a player synonymous with their modern dominance. Haunting because everyone inside the organization seems to understand what comes next. As Jack Harris of the LA Times noted, “His return also helps keep intact a crucial piece of the club’s veteran core, bringing back a player — after Clayton Kershaw’s retirement — who has been with the Dodgers longer than anyone else.” That line reads less like a roster update and more like a quiet epilogue.
This is no longer just about production. It’s about time.
The Dodgers’ dynasty was built on players like Muncy — overlooked, resilient, battle-tested. He arrived as a gamble and became a cornerstone, helping deliver multiple championships, October moments, and a relentless edge that defined the club’s identity. But baseball, unforgiving as ever, does not pause for sentiment. The same veterans who helped resurrect the franchise are now aging together, forcing the front office to confront a difficult truth: the future demands youth.
There is little indication that Los Angeles plans to make sweeping moves this offseason. They don’t need to. But behind closed doors, planning for life after Muncy has already begun. Injuries have piled up. Availability has become inconsistent. And at third base — one of the most demanding positions on the diamond — the margin for decline is razor-thin.
Still, Muncy himself has made his position painfully clear.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that I want to retire here. I’ve been very open about that,” he said. “As far as how it’s all going to play out, that’s not something I can really worry about right now.” It’s an honest, almost vulnerable admission — one that underscores the emotional tension between player loyalty and organizational reality.
Around the league, executives understand this moment well. Padres president AJ Preller, when speaking broadly about roster evolution after Sung Mun-Song’s arrival in San Diego, touched on a reality that applies just as strongly in Los Angeles: continuity wins championships, but transition sustains them. The Dodgers know this better than anyone.
According to Jordan Campbell of Dodgers Way, 2026 may not simply be another season — it could be Muncy’s farewell tour. “Instead of bringing Muncy back beyond this window, 2026 should be viewed as his goodbye tour in Los Angeles,” Campbell wrote. “He doesn’t necessarily have to retire, but he absolutely should not be the Dodgers’ primary third baseman in 2027 and beyond.” The message is blunt, but hard to refute.
Even during back-to-back World Series triumphs, cracks have begun to show. The core is older. Recovery takes longer. The grind is heavier. For a franchise obsessed with sustained excellence, standing still is the greatest risk of all. From a cold, analytical perspective, the Dodgers may believe they are simply better positioned without Muncy after 2026.
And yet, baseball is not played on spreadsheets alone.
Saying goodbye to a franchise pillar is never easy — especially one who embodied the Dodgers’ rise back to dominance. Muncy isn’t just another veteran contract nearing expiration. He is a symbol of belief, of patience rewarded, of a team that once rebuilt itself around grit rather than glamour.A
Unless Muncy chooses to retire after the 2026 season, all signs point to a painful conclusion: his future likely lies away from Los Angeles. The Dodgers may chase history one last time with him by their side — but when the lights dim, and the banners stop waving, the door could quietly close behind one of the most important players of this era.
For now, the mission is clear: win again. Everything else can wait.
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